Thanks to the following who have reviewed on the previous chapter!
MarvelMaster616 -
Everything is starting to come together. We've officially reached climax. A lot is going to happen in this chapter. Xavier's team is going to have no choice but to confront Sinister and Apocalypse head on, especially with what's to come.
Chapter 17: The Most Important Mission
Essex Laboratories – Scott's Room
En Sabah Nur had waited centuries for the right mutants to come along. Years ago, he'd dominated Earth. He'd been viewed as a God for some people. However, that all changed when someone had managed to put a stop to him. They'd locked him away, and trapped him.
After that, the world had grown to be lost in a world of famine, tyranny, and small-minded humans who thought too small. There was such a lack of originality and creativity from the humans of the world, En Sabah Nur was surprised. Everyone had lost their way, giving in blindly to rules of "morality" humanity had put in place.
The world was broken, at least in his eyes.
Looking down at the sleeping form of Scott Summers, the teenager looked so young. His eyes were closed. His breathing was deep with sleep. He looked peaceful. But En Sabah Nur understood that the reason for that was because Cassandra was keeping him in a deep, telepathic state of unconsciousness. Passing a hand over the sleeping teenager's forehead, En Sabah Nur closed his eyes.
Cassandra and Nathaniel had told him about the lives that Jean, Warren, and Rogue had lived. Scott had been the only one to have half-way decent parents, but they'd raised him to be blinded by humanity. He could see it from reading Scott's mind. The young man had started off as weak and undernourished when Cassandra and Nathaniel had taken him in. Now, he was stronger, physically and mentally.
His power was also something quite intriguing for the ancient mutant. Seeing the footage of what Scott's power looked like left him in a state of awe. He hadn't seen power like that in years.
"Cyclops," he whispered. "You have lost your way. But I can see Nathaniel and Cassandra have been helping you with finding your way. I am here to help, as well. You were blind for so long. We will awaken you, and let you see what you are meant to become. You are meant to be a God that is blessed and adored."
En Sabah Nur sighed. "Don't worry, young man. You will be one of the individuals that will save the world from itself. I promise you that. I promise you that you are going to be one of the strongest homo superiors to ever roam the Earth."
Rising from his seat beside Scott's bed, he moved out of the room to go to Jean's. He saw the girl was fast asleep in her bed. He'd seen her medical records. He'd seen the files on her family history. She'd been raised by the weak, and as a result, her weak parents had taken it all out on her and her sister. They'd been too weak to see that they were damaging their daughter.
He sat beside her, stroking her long red hair. "Oh, Phoenix," he sighed. "Such a pity that your parents didn't see what you were capable of. But don't worry. You have this new family. Cassandra and Nathaniel see your potential. They see that you are worthy of having the world bow at your feet. Just wait. Soon enough, you will be the most elegant, beautiful creature to ever roam the planet."
He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. He then went to Rogue's room. Sitting at Rogue's bedside, he spoke softly to her.
"It's truly a shame that your father only saw you as a plaything. He truly was pathetic to not see what you were capable of. You're stronger than you know, Rogue," he whispered. He then left to go to Warren's room.
"Archangel," he whispered, touching Warren's metal wings with soft hands. "Your father is currently seeing the world for what it is about to become. Phoenix helped open his eyes in a way he probably couldn't imagine. Now, now he knows what's to come. Now he knows that you are going to change the world, and not him. He thought he could cure you. He thought he could stop you from being who you are. But he was wrong, young man."
Rising from where he sat at Warren's bedside, he proceeded to go out in the hallway to where Nathaniel and Cassandra awaited him.
"All four are excellent candidates for my horsemen. I'm thinking Archangel will be death. Phoenix will be famine. Rogue will be conquest. And Cyclops will be war."
"Excellent titles to give them," said Nathaniel. "The seeds of Krakoa are going to be planted. In fact, it is happening right now."
Krakoa
The team of Essex's scientists all worked together, making sure to plant the seeds where Nathaniel and Cassandra had told them to. The freshly-made island proved to be sufficient, because already, grass was sprouting from the cracks in the ground. The lava that had spilled over from Amara Aquilla's powers, giving them a space to create a whole new space.
The seeds got placed in the ground, and once water droplets sprinkled down, the seeds began sprouting. Large trees instantly began to form. More grass formed around. Exotic flowers bloomed, displaying a stunning array of colors.
The trees grew towering in size. Bushes formed and bloomed flowers of different species. The rocky island had turned into a lively, stunning sight.
"It's done, Doctor Essex," said a scientist.
"Excellent. We will be arriving. En Sabah Nur, why don't you say we take the children to their new home, and give them their next assignment?" asked Essex.
Before the eyes of the scientists, En Sabah Nur appeared with Nathaniel, Cassandra, and the unconscious mutants. Jean, Scott, Warren, and Rogue were all laying down on floating mattresses, still deeply asleep.
"Think about it, lover," whispered Cassandra. "This is going to be our new home."
"And the children are going to have a place they can call theirs," said Nathaniel. "When shall we awaken the children, and give them their tasks?"
"Soon. But we should allow them to wake up naturally," Cassandra said. Turning to En Sabah Nur, she said, "I think it would be best that you aren't present when the children awaken from their slumber."
"I agree," said En Sabah Nur. "Is there a place for me to sit upon?"
"Yes," said a scientist. "We have a special place for you on Krakoa." The scientists led En Sabah Nur to a space in the center of Krakoa, where a stone throne was resting there. It was riddled with crystals and rare flowers.
"Magnificent," En Sabah Nur breathed out.
Kirby General Hospital – Psychiatric Ward
"I do not understand why you are attempting this again, Charles," said Hank as he pushed Charles' wheelchair through the halls of the hospital.
Warren II's screams continued filling the air.
"I mustn't give up, Hank. You know as well as I do that our answers lie there," said Charles.
"And if you end up getting answers about Alex's younger brother?" asked Hank.
"Then I will only tell him the strict necessary, Hank. He's already so invested into it, it's concerning to me," Charles said. "I know that he is worried about his younger brother. But at the same time, he's obsessed with it."
"He's been without family for years, Charles," Hank said. "He wants to find his brother."
Charles nodded with a sigh as he entered Warren Jr.'s hospital room. Entering, they could see the man still laying there screaming in mental agony. He was still restrained to the bed, and was still writhing and twisting.
Warren Jr.'s tortured, wretched yells were painful for Charles to listen to. However, as he placed his hand onto the man's forehead, he was confronted with more images.
He saw flashes of something that looked like an island. But it was beyond anything like Genosha, Magneto's island. It was an island that was filled with exotic flowers of all different colors, towering trees, and greenery that Charles had never seen before. As he delved in further, Charles saw more.
He saw what had occurred the day Warren Jr. had gotten attacked in his office. He saw images of two teenage girls, standing over him and laughing callously. One of them had a fiery aura to her, and she had flaming red hair. Charles could see the flashes of Warren Jr. tied up and gagged on the floor of his office, screaming and staring blankly. Then, Charles saw a blonde young man who looked an awful lot like Warren Jr., accompanied by a young man with blue eyes and dark brown hair.
The young man with dark hair looked similarly to Alex.
However, Charles knew that he could not give up. He had to dive in further and he had to learn more.
Warren Jr. continued lying there screaming, tears rolling down his face as he struggled hard on the bed. Hank stood off to the side, weary as he watched Charles work. However, he noticed Charles' nose was beginning to bleed severely as he tried pushing his telepathy.
"Charles, that's enough," said Hank.
Charles suddenly pulled out, gasping. "I think I know more about what happened to Scott Summers. The question is, who is he with? And why? Who found him after the plane crash?"
Krakoa
Scott, Jean, Warren, and Rogue awoke slowly with moans, blinking their eyes as they tried sitting up from where they lay. The four mutants yawned deeply as they awoke from what felt to be the longest sleep they'd ever had.
As they slowly awoke from their slumber, they looked around. They saw they were laying on a grassy, soft ground, surrounded by plants and brightly colored flowers. The air smelled clean.
"Where are we?" whispered Jean as she ran her fingers through the blades of grass.
"Ah don't know. But it's beautiful," Rogue whispered, touching a red rose.
Warren slowly rose to his feet, reaching down and giving Scott a hand up to his feet.
"What is this place?" breathed Scott. He hadn't seen anything quite like this before, ever. It was by far the most beautiful location he'd ever seen. Warren looked just as mesmerized as he did.
"This is what Mom and Dad have been promising us, I guess," surmised Warren.
"Indeed," someone said. Suddenly, all four teenagers felt a presence entering their minds. It was the familiar presence of their surrogate mother.
The four teens turned around, only to see their adoptive "parents" accompanied by En Sabah Nur.
"Hello, my children!" Cassandra said.
"Hello Mother," Scott said.
"How was your rest?" asked Nathaniel.
"It was good," replied Jean.
"Excellent to hear, dear," Nathaniel said. "However, we brought someone we wanted you to meet. This is En Sabah Nur – one of the first mutants to ever be born."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said En Sabah Nur. "You four are the perfect ones to become my four horsemen. This is what you've been trained for your entire lives. It's about time that you live up to what Nathaniel and Cassandra have been grooming you to become. However, I think I should assign you all new names. Jean Grey, you will be named Phoenix. You will be my horseman of famine. Warren, you will go by Archangel. You will be the horseman of death. Rogue, since you already go by Rogue, you will be my horseman of conquest. And lastly, Scott Summers, you will go by Cyclops, and be known as my horseman of war. All four of you have so much power and potential to share with the world. I only wish to amplify your gifts to spread a message to the world.
"My message to the world is that the homo sapiens and the homo superior have lost their way. But not to fear or worry, because I have returned to reshape the world back to what it should be. Humans and mutants are following blind leadership. They're confused, and lost. It is up to the four of you to awaken them, and open their minds to my ideals. We must simplify the world. We must cleanse it."
"Yes, Master," the four young mutants said simultaneously.
"Good, my children. Good," said Cassandra. "Now, time for you to receive your assignment for today. You are to go to a place called The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. While there, you will pick up three individuals named Rahne Sinclair, Lorna Dane, and Hank McCoy. Just to give you some background, it's run by my naive cousin, Charles Xavier. Get this; he believes that humans and mutants can interact in peace. He wants to encourage us, the homo superior, to mate with pathetic humans. He thinks that humans and mutants living among each other isn't something to look down upon; rather that it is something to be encouraged." Her voice was laced with disgust. "It's time he learns that his attempts at what he believes to be peace are truly pathetic. Do you accept your task, my children?"
"Yes, we do, Mother," the four young mutants all said at the same time.
Cassandra's smile widened, and she walked over to the four mutants, kissing them each on the forehead. "En Sabah Nur? I think it is time you give them some special gifts."
"Yes," En Sabah Nur said. He walked over to Warren, Jean, Scott, and Rogue, and proceeded to dress them in heavy, gold jewelry, and handed them new clothes to wear. The clothing matched specifically to who they were.
Scott's was a maroon uniform adorned with red "X" designs on the shoulders and chest. Jean's was a two-piece set of red lingerie, consisting of a thong, fishnets, five-inch stilettos, and a lacy corset that augmented her breasts. Rogue's was a green hooded top paired with skin-tight pants. Warren's was a dark blue suit with a cowl to pull up over his head.
The four young mutants proceeded to strip down naked, before pulling on the new clothes that had been gifted to them. All four looked like they truly were meant to be En Sabah Nur's horsemen.
"You look like you belong now," whispered Essex. "Now, go my children. Make sure that our message to the world gets spread, starting with Xavier."
"Yes, Father." Apocalypse proceeded to open a portal for them, and all four stepped inside it to see that they were outside the Xavier Institute. Seeing the school from the distance, the four mutants could not help but feel slightly impressed by how grand it was in size.
However, they knew that they had to do this cautiously. They had to find a way to sneak into the school, and find the three mutants Nathaniel and Cassandra had mentioned to them.
"I think En Sabah Nur gave me something else when he presented me with my clothes," said Phoenix.
"What do you mean, sugah?" asked Rogue.
"Everyone, grab onto me. I want to try this." Phoenix's eyes glowed hot orange a the others grabbed hold of her. With a flash of orange flames, they found themselves inside the school.
"How'd you do that?" asked Archangel.
"I don't know," whispered Phoenix, smiling toward Cyclops who was staring at her breasts. "See something you like?"
Cyclops could only smirk in her direction. "I do," he told her. "But the mission first."
Phoenix nodded.
"Where do we start?" asked Archangel.
"Start with the main office to this place," said Cyclops. "And also, see if you can take out the security cameras. I'll be the first to take care of that." He fired an optic blast beam at one of the cameras, frying it instantly.
"Nice work, Cyclops," Phoenix said, smiling. "Rogue, take care of the security system. Cyclops and I will find the individuals we need to find. Archangel, handle the professor."
"I like seeing you take charge," Cyclops told her, taking her hand as she led them up the stairs to the dormitories.
Xavier Institute – Rahne's Room
Rahne Sinclair was an individual who had a lot to fear growing up. Living in an abusive household with fundamentalist Christian parents meant living in constant fear of not being good enough. She'd endured some pretty severe beatings from her biological family, who often thought that anything to do with sex was a deviant. She remembered how when she was eleven, her mother had beaten her for getting her first menstrual period.
Then, her mutation came on one fateful day. Her father had been beating her and had been wrestling to lock her in a cage, when her powers of morphing into a wolf form manifested. After she morphed into her wolfish form, she'd ended up killing her parents by eating them like an actual wolf. She'd been running through the woods when her adoptive mother, Moira MacTaggart had found her.
After having fallen at Moira's feet, Moira decided to take her in as her ward, and brought her to the United States to be tutored under Professor Xavier. Although she wasn't officially a member of the "X-men," it did not mean Rahne didn't look forward to the day she'd be old enough.
Nonetheless, as she showered that night, she couldn't help but feel a foreboding sense that something horrible was about to happen.
'I hadn't felt this way since the night my powers came,' she thought, stepping out of the shower and drying her body off with towels. She then changed into some pajamas. Her plan was to read her Bible for a few hours, and then go to bed.
For years, she associated religion with fear. It took her awhile to associate religion with something peaceful and calming. However, as she stepped into her bedroom, she wasn't prepared to see someone in her room.
Cyclops stood there before her, in a fighting position. He prepared to fire an optic blast beam at the teenage girl, but Rahne quickly morphed into her wolfish form, howling and growling as a sign of distress. She prepared to pounce on Cyclops, but he was ready just as someone came running down the hall.
"Rahne!" shouted Alex Summers.
Cyclops quickly fired an optic blast beam at the wolf-morphing girl, and she collapsed to the ground consciousness as Cyclops bent over and lifted her in a fireman's carry.
"Oh, God, Lorna!" Alex yelled as Cyclops stepped out of Rahne's bedroom with the girl over his shoulder. Alex quickly turned around from where Jean had Lorna in a fiery, telepathic grasp, a gag tied around her head to prevent her from screaming out.
As Alex looked at Cyclops, he could feel his knees beginning to shake as Rogue came out bearing an unconscious Hank. He felt a wave of emotions hitting him as he saw what he saw. Tears misted over in his eyes as he looked at the spitting image of his little brother.
"S-Scottie?" he whispered. "Scottie, it's me! It's Alex your brother."
Cyclops didn't answer him. He fired an optic blast beam at his older brother and slammed him into the wall. Archangel came flying in, having just incapacitated the professor.
"Let's go," Archangel, and he and the others grabbed hold of Phoenix, who teleported them out.
Alex could only sit there against the wall, breathing heavily as tears flowed down his face. His breathing grew heavier as he raced to his bathroom. He barely made it to the toilet before he began to vomit.
He wretched into the toilet just as Logan and Ororo came rushing into his room, only to see him knelt over the toilet bowl emptying the contents of his stomach.
"Alex, Alex what happened?" asked Ororo anxiously. "We just got out of the professor's office and he was incapacitated. He's been hurt!"
Alex could only gasp. "He – He took her! He took Lorna!" he choked.
"Who?" Logan demanded.
"My little brother!" Alex's face crumpled underneath the weight of tears pouring down his face. Letting a sob past his lips, he managed to say, "S-Scott's alive!"
Be sure to REVIEW! And be sure to check out my series I am writing in collaboration with MarvelMaster 616 titled Peace in Our Time!